To one who was expecting desert like conditions, extreme dry temperatures and nothing but blue skies today was a rude awakening! We spent the night camping near the Glen Helen Gorge on the banks of the barely flowing Finke River. This River is among the oldest rivers in the world - dated at a whopping 65 million years - give or take a few million! We awoke to rain falling on our tents at 4am and not letting up for several hours. After several … [Read more...]
Notes from the Great Australian Outback, Northern Territory
Garth Brooks, "Friends in Low Places" was playing at some point in the last few days in one of our tour vehicles. The trend in music among the outfitters seems to be older American Country. I'm perfectly fine with that. I didn't hear about the incredible amount of flies in the Outback this particular year prior to my trip - probably something to do with all the rain they've had here. There is a cream you can dab on your face which keeps them … [Read more...]
Finding Peace and Relaxation at The Oaks at Ojai
The sky was clear blue. It was another beautiful and warm day, like how most days are here in Southern California. The road ahead finally opened up. After about an hour of driving through congested Los Angeles traffic, it was a relief to enter the stretch of the 101 Ventura freeway where it looked like a deserted highway. Taking a road trip on a Monday when most people start their work week certainly has its advantages. I arrived at my … [Read more...]
Where to Sleep Tonight – Trinidad
After sleeping in the car the past few nights - I was ready for a change. Night one I hid the car behind a large pile of dirt next to a small road in the middle of the rainforest. Night two, a frightful sleep was interrupted by dark shadows at my driver side window by two guys carrying scary looking weapons. Apparently my choice for my spot of rest was too close to a military base. They were nice and motioned me to move on. Night three I didn't … [Read more...]
The Diverse Attractions of Stockholm
Located on the east coast, Stockholm is Sweden’s largest city and its capital. Vibrant Stockholm is actually built upon 14 islands but is easy to traverse on foot and is the perfect location for an exciting weekend city break. Stockholm is an amazingly diverse city, a mix of the historic Old Town, modern architecture and natural beauty spots. This was the first city in the world to have a natural park in its city as well as the world’s only … [Read more...]
A Million Steps, by Kurt Koontz
Life certainly takes a winding road sometimes - Kurt Koontz was a successful sales executive for a Fortune 500 company. "Retiring" fairly early he is now a newly minted author and gives lectures and presentations on his life lessons learned. The name of his book, A Million Steps" reflects the amount of steps he estimated he took over nearly 30 days hiking the famous Santiago Compestela route - all 490 miles of it. This book is not merely a … [Read more...]
T Up: Thank God for the Oil Companies!
JOHN M. EDWARDS, part owner of a privately held oil and natural gas concern based in Houston and New Orleans, gushes on about one of nature’s most valuable resources: petroleum! You can’t get to a rainforest without any transport to get you there. Luckily most major oil companies like Chevron and Shell have absolutely no interest in damaging the primary rainforests of the Amazon and Congo, although there is always some drilling on the edges … [Read more...]
Planning the perfect piste-side proposal
Of all the locations to choose when planning your proposal to the person of your dreams, few can match the serene majesty of the Alps. The heady mix of crisp, fresh air, rugged mountain scenery and glistening snow makes the Alps the ideal place to pop the question. Wrapped up warm against the elements, the sparkling ring and glistening snow complimenting her beaming smile; what could be more perfect? Of all the locations to choose when … [Read more...]
My Winter Wish List for the Holidays
As the weather cools, travel heats up this time of year- visits to friends and family during the holidays, local trips to experience outdoor activities or destination trips to warmer locales certainly sounds appealing - especially as I write this - huddled next to a space heater. The warmth of this heater is making me reflect upon warm weather destinations that I visited earlier this year; Bermuda (an easy flight from the East Coast), Sydney, … [Read more...]
Camino de Santiago, A Million Steps
A million is a rough estimate of the number of steps I took while walking the Camino de Santiago. I made the calculation on day 13 of my trek as I walked along a portion of the path that was parallel to a highway with kilometer markers. Over the course of a kilometer, I counted 1,153 steps. I did the math and discovered that I would take a total of 909,717 steps on the trail between St. Jean Pied-de-Port, where it began, and Santiago de … [Read more...]
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